「So, that’s how it is. Apparently, I’ve obtained the 『Hammer』 skill」
It took a strangely long time, but at last I announced my new skill, the 『Hammer』 skill, at the family meeting.
「Soil skill?」
「Yeah, 『Hammer』 skill」
「Alec, did you obtain a soil skill……?」
「That’s what I’m saying……?」
Mother looks puzzled and keeps asking about the skill.
Yggdrasil-san reacted the same way back then…….
For some reason, whenever I mention the 『Hammer』 skill, people make that kind of face. Is it really that rare for an elf to have this skill?
「Ah, hammer? 『Hammer』 skill? Like wooden mallets and metal hammers?」
「Yeah, that one」
I nod at Father’s words.
「Ah……」
「Mother, what’s wrong?」
「I knew it. From the beginning, I knew it was the 『Hammer』 skill」
「Uh, yeah」
I am not sure why, but apparently Mother knew.
「I see. You really obtained a rare skill, didn’t you?」
「Ah, yeah. I do woodworking almost every day, so…… I figured that might be why I got it」
「That’s right. You use a hammer for woodworking. That’s why it’s the 『Hammer』 skill. Mother knew all along」
「I see」
Mother is oddly insistent about how she knew.
At this point, it almost makes me suspect that she did not actually know at all.
「If that’s the case, then your woodworking skills must have improved even more, right?」
「Yeah. Things like driving nails and striking chisels. I think I’ve made a lot of progress in those areas」
I tried all sorts of things over the past two weeks, and the synergy between the 『Woodworking』 skill and the 『Hammer』 skill is impressive.
Woodworking pieces made using a hammer are clearly better than those from before I obtained the skill.
Once it gets like this, I start wanting even more synergy.
I find myself wanting a skill just for chisels too. I wonder if a chisel skill even exists…….
「Then perhaps my dolls have evolved as well?」
「Ah, yeah. I think I can make them much better than before」
「That’s nice. It’s a shame it’s not a magic skill, but when you think about it that way, the 『Hammer』 skill is not so bad」
「I guess so」
I thought for sure Mother wanted me to become a mage, but…… apparently she is fine with me being a woodworker.
If anything, I get the feeling that woodworker might actually be her first choice…….
「Woodworking and the 『Hammer』 skill…… Why won’t you obtain the 『Sword』 skill, Alec……?」
「Well, it’s not like I can help that……」
Father’s first choice seems to be swordsman…… As the first step toward becoming a proper swordsman, he really wants me to learn the 『Sword』 skill.
I mean, I want to learn it as soon as possible too, if I can……?
「You use knives in woodworking too, right? Then it would be fine for you to obtain the 『Sword』 skill……」
「Even if you say it would be fine……」
That kind of argument just leaves me stuck.
……But, well, I do understand Father’s question.
I practice swordplay almost every day, and I also use knives for woodworking. From his point of view, it probably makes no sense that I learned the 『Hammer』 skill before the 『Sword』 skill…….
「Um…… maybe it’s that?」
「That?」
「Sergent drop」
「…………」
When I tried playing Sergent drop as an experiment, the 『Hammer』 skill worked extremely well.
If I think about it the other way around, continuing to play Sergent drop should eventually lead to acquiring or leveling up the 『Hammer』 skill.
――With that thought in mind, I quickly improvised an excuse like that.
「You see, I was playing Sergent drop」
「You were playing it……」
In reality, I had not played Sergent drop in years.
Even pulling it out for the experiment was the first time in a long while. It had been left sitting in the toy box for ages, to the point where I had completely forgotten it existed.
……Since I forget it exists, every time I almost sort through the toy box, my heart nearly stops.
I had been thinking it might be time to throw it away, but I never imagined it would end up being useful like this…….
「I think I was able to obtain the 『Hammer』 skill because I was doing woodworking and playing Sergent drop every day」
「Huh, you were doing it every day……?」
「Eh? Um…… yeah」
「Ehh……? Well, if that’s the case, I guess I can understand how you got the skill……? But even so, every day? Ehh……?」
……I probably should not have said every day.
It seems Father accepted the explanation for how I got the skill, but he looks pretty shaken…….
「So, Father――Father?」
「Ah, yeah, sorry…… What is it?」
「Since I learned the 『Hammer』 skill, I was thinking of buying a combat hammer and trying it out in battle too」
「Oh, I see, in battle too……」
「Yeah. Since I have it, I figured I would try」
「Are you…… not going to use a sword anymore……?」
「Eh? No, that’s not what I mean……」
It looks like I gave Father another shock. He looks dejected.
Maybe he is worried that his son is choosing the path of a hammer user instead of a swordsman…….
「Papa, you want Alec to become a swordsman, don’t you?」
「That’s…… well, as for me――」
「You want Alec to become a Sword Saint too, don’t you? You want him to inherit it, don’t you?」
「…………」
……Well, in terms of nuance, that is probably close. That is likely what he hopes for.
But I do not think he necessarily wants me to inherit the title of Sword Saint. Father himself dislikes being called a Sword Saint…….
Even now, when Mother called him a Sword Saint, he made a sour face.
If Father were to turn to Mother here and say――
『And you want Alec to become a Sage too, don’t you?』
――that kind of jab would probably start a serious marital argument…….
But Father is gentle and mild by nature, so he would never say that. Even now, he just stays quiet and endures it.
「I understand how you feel, Papa, but Alec’s life belongs to Alec, you know?」
「……Yeah」
「It’s not good to force a parent’s ideals onto a child」
「…………Yeah」
What she is saying is correct. I think it is a fair argument.
It feels like she was just hoping I would become a woodworker or a mage a moment ago, but…… well, the statement itself is probably right.
「You’re right, Miriam. I’m sorry, Alec」
「No, it’s fine, Father」
「Whether you aim to be a mage, a woodworker, or a hammer user――no matter what you choose to become, I will support you」
「Thanks, Father」
Well, I am not really aiming for any of those right now, though…….
「And even if you aim to be a swordsman, I will support you」
「……Thanks, Father」
With Father quietly slipping in his own hope at the end, the family meeting of the Sword Saint, the Sage, and the son of the Sword Saint and the Sage came to an end.
next chapter: Combat Soil
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